Aiden ir'Reinard
A former captain of the Knights Arcane who deserted after the Day of Mourning. Aiden ir’Reinard now pursues a career as an adventurer in an attempt to change the world for the better outside of the squabbling of the Five Nations. Appearance Aiden is a stern Aundairan in the prime of adulthood, but one who has let the combination of the Last War and wandering take their toll upon him. He lacks the broad profile of some career soldiers, but his toned arms and legs seem tailored for sharp and sudden action. His earthy brown eyes have a wariness from years on the battlefield and can be frequently seen taking in situations and planning contingencies. His ash brown hair is rarely cut neatly; usually it is simply tied behind his head in a simple tail; with ends that strongly suggest that it might just have had the excess lopped off with a none-too-careful knife. Perhaps the most striking feature is the number of scars and wounds he has accumulated; while he keeps his face cleanly shaved this only draws attention to an old wound from left cheek down to his chin and a slightly crooked nose from one-too-many melees. A scar crossing from his forehead down to over his right eye implies a narrowly avoided blinding. Similarly, his arms, when exposed, are peppered with light scars; particularly around his left upper arm and wrists. As life as an adventurer has taken to him, Aiden has found himself preferring simpler tastes than many of his Aundairan counterparts. Where he would normally have found comfort in a colorfully dyed tunic, he has since taken to simple beige wool tunics without any special dye. Where a bright and fashionable cloak may be the key accessory to an outfit, he favors a mottled grey cloak of roughspun fabric. His only remaining nod toward his heritage in terms of fashion is the sheath perpetually attached to his leather belt: a vivid blue piece decorated with gold thread… and a family heirloom presented upon his achieving the rank of Captain. Beyond this, one typically sees him with a pack of supplies strapped to his back and brown leather boots worn down to the soles. History Aiden ir’Reinard was born the eldest son to a minor noble family in Fairhaven in 961 YK. With the Last War raging around him and a lineage driven in part by service to the Aundairan crown, he was a boy who had a future laid out for him brick by brick. Childhood games of knights versus skeletons evolved rapidly into long hours of practicing swordsmanship. His schooling focused extensively on attempting to drill the arcane arts into his skull so that he could eventually join the Knights Arcane. Family fortunes were emptied out to obtain access to a prestigious military academy to give a head start on a career. Aiden worked ever onward toward the goal that was dangled in front of him with filial duty. Over the course of the Last War he ended up serving in multiple fronts. As a military cadet, he saw minor action in border skirmishes near Thaliost. In his first campaign as a member of the Knights Arcane, he saw significant action on the eastern front against the forces of Karrnath. It was there that childhood games failed to convey the horror that the undead shock troops could dole out; he nearly lost his eye in a night raid… and lost some of his companions on the battlefield as well. He still bears a grudge to this day toward the Karrnathi for his time spent on that front; his wounds finally forced an end to his participation in campaign and a promotion by the time of the next. He spent some time training new soldiers in Fairhaven while recovering. If there was a single struggle that changed him as a person, it was one of the final hot streaks of the Last War. Aiden ir’Reinard saw the historical position of Aundair as ultimately honorable: the only one of the Five Nations not to betray Cyre. As such, when Cyre was beleaguered on all sides from approaching goes, he was more than eager to take his squad of the Knights Arcane to the frontline; deep into enemy territory for the cause of relieving their allies with a flanking motion. He was prepared for bloodshed and to potentially lose his men. What he was not prepared for was the Day of Mourning. In seemingly an instant, history was altered and a nation wiped from the maps of Khorvaire… and the response from Queen Aurala as the battlefields calmed only served to shatter his worldview further. Every sacrifice of life along the way to that moment felt futile; squabbling for nobles all wishing to grasp power for themselves and little care for the memory of Galifar. Upon seeing his men back to the Aundairan borderlands, he deserted the Knights Arcane and his commission. Without the drive of duty before him, Aiden took to aiding the refugees of Cyre as they seized new lives for themselves. Making a name for himself as an adventurer began with incursions into Darguun, carrying out a number of raids to liberate refugees who had the misfortune of being forced to flee into the hands of Marguul slavers. One of these refugees would turn out to be a member of House Cannith with some clout. After a conversation over too many glasses of Aundairan wine, strings began to be pulled in order to obtain an invitation to the Wayfinder Foundation for the former knight. Aiden saw this as an opportunity to accomplish something meaningful and change the world for the better. The Last War Aiden began serving in the Last War from 977 YK as a military cadet on more minor fronts against Thrane. The bulk of his service was on the northeastern fronts against Karrnath, where he earned his commission as a captain of the Knights Arcane. His final campaign was deep in Thrane territory to attempt a flanking maneuver right before the Day of Mourning in 994 YK. His experience throughout was colored by the need to see good men and women go to their deaths for some seemingly greater good only to feel that it was worth nothing more than noble squabbles at the end. He deserted the Aundairan military shortly after returning to the borderlands. Invitation A House Cannith heir by the name of Alyria d'Cannith was rescued by one of his raiding actions against the Marguul in the aftermaths of the Last War. Their friendship in New Cyre eventually lead to strings being pulled to seek Aiden a position in the Wayfinder Foundation in order to give him new opportunities to make the world better; potentially larger in scope than dealing with common slavers on the borders. Experience Aiden ir'Reinard is a seventeen year veteran of the Last War who survived conflicts with the undead forces of Karrnath, skirmishes with the templars of Thrane, and melees with the Dar. Despite being a potential liability when dealing with Aundair, he brings a carefully honed skill with the arcane arts and the blade alike to any group of explorers. His command experience means that despite a gruff nature, he will often do his best to keep some manner of order and see his allies to safety. Motivation The world is significantly smaller as a single adventurer. Aiden hopes that as a member of the Wayfinder Foundation he can discover some means to heal the wounds that the Last War has left on Khorvaire... or at least leave the world a little better than the Last War left it. It also may serve as a means to use his skills and move forward from the past. Future Goals Aiden has grown to share an affinity with the Cyran refugees whom he sees as abandoned by a world that should have embraced them. He will take dangerous risks if he thinks that it can raise Cyre back from the ashes in some way. He also feels no small amount of guilt over leaving his family behind, after everything that went into pushing him forward. His father and mother are getting quite old and his own actions likely weigh upon them. He has not been able to investigate how badly things have gone, for concern of drawing the wrong attention. He hopes that being a Wayfinder could potentially give him the contacts to verify, or even place himself to the point where his deserter status is less problematic in Aundair. Allies Alyria d'Cannith: a Cyran Dragonmarked artificer from House Cannith whom had the misfortune of being captured by Marguul slavers in the aftermath of the Mourning. She was the one to push Aiden toward something bigger than raids that would have gotten him killed sooner or later. Enemies The Knights Arcane: A member of this elite number deserting is bad. A decorated officer deserting both bad publicity and something that could come back to haunt Aiden. Secrets (optional) Personality Personality Traits * Aiden is particularly jaded after the Last War and has a tendency to snap at people who glorify it. This has also made him slow to open up to new allies; they could die at any moment. Ideals * Galifar. Aiden grew up with the (misguided) image of Aundair as a protector of the rightful heirs of Galifar. He thinks that the people of Khorvaire deserve better than the squabbling of nobles over a crown for all the hurt it did. Bonds * Aiden will not allow an ally to sacrifice themselves if he can save them. As a captain of the Knights Arcane, he sent men and women to their death for a greater good that was shattered in his head. Never again. Strengths * As a former military officer, Aiden is quick to take in new situations and stimulus and quickly arrive at a solution. He tends to act quickly and will move especially so if he can keep harm from allies or civilians. Flaws * As a former military officer, Aiden's solutions unfortunately tend to be on the more direct side. While well-meaning, he can be overly gruff and direct at times and that can cause problems. Completed Missions Trollmoot Aiden's first expedition out was marked with many strange happenings. While he avoided having Sora Esma in possession of one of his items (to his knowledge at least), he did have a war trophy of his returned as a perfect mirror image: complete with inscriptions on the blade altered. He was also impressed with how much change that a small group of Wayfinders was able to accomplish relative to his own actions as an individual... though he is feeling that brute force alone will only see him so far in this world. He also felt the sting of being a pariah more, now that he wasn't around Cyran refugees he has helped and dealing more with Aundairians who recognized him as a deserter. Crunch XP & Gold Log This transaction list must include all finished expeditions and the gold/XP earned for each, as well as all expenditures (what you bought and for how much). Inventory * Longsword * Silver Longsword (attuned) * Byeshk Handaxe (attuned) * Handaxe x2 * Chain Mail * Shield * Explorer's Pack * Captain's Insignia (Knights Arcane) * Karrnathi Ritual Dagger (Mirrored) * Set of Bone Dice * Common Clothes * Belt Pouch Character Sheet * https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2037929 Category:Characters